South Africa: South Africa's ANC Hit by Worst-Ever Performance in Local Elections

What the report says

South Africa’s African National Congress has recorded its weakest showing ever in municipal elections, according to Deutsche Welle’s report distributed by AllAfrica. The final tally published on Sunday put the ANC at just under 31% of the vote in Wednesday’s local polls, while its closest challenger, the Democratic Alliance, won just under 25%. The Electoral Commission said the ANC also lost its majority in six of the country’s eight metropolitan regions.

The result points to difficult coalition negotiations in several major cities, where no party secured outright control. The DA is positioned to keep Cape Town and perform strongly in Pretoria and Johannesburg, where it is expected to seek governing arrangements that exclude the ANC. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula described the outcome as catastrophic, while President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged in his weekly letter that municipal failures have weakened public trust.

The party’s decline comes amid voter anger over water and electricity shortages, as well as broader concerns about unemployment, crime and corruption. The ANC, long dominant since the end of apartheid and led historically by Nelson Mandela, has seen its support erode in recent elections. After losing its national parliamentary majority in 2024, it entered a unity government; this latest local vote may further test its influence ahead of the next general election.